Until Morning Light
by heidipoo
Summary: After a drunken encounter between the two, things aren't the same with Luke and Nick. The past is revealed, and drunk confessions are made. But will their irresponsible actions lead to the unveiling of their true feelings for one another?
1. Sorry For Being a Dick Out There

**Author's Note: So I've been meaning to do this fanfic for a while, but I never got around to it. I sort of ship Nick and Luke together, but then Luke did the thing with Jane and now I'm conflicted about things. Anyway, I need to get this idea out of my head, so enjoy. This story will be about 20 chapters or more, and will follow through the majority of season two. I'm a senior in high school so I will try to update when I can, other than school I pretty much have all my time to myself. Oh, and by the way, still taking requests so be sure to shoot me a PM. Also, check out my profile for other cool stuff.**

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><p>Nick and Luke watched with careful eyes as Carlos sewed up Clementine's bitten arm. The rest of the survivors in their group were presumably in bed. Even though she was a little girl, she was a stranger to all of them, and they didn't trust her. But that was okay, because she didn't trust them either. She just wanted her arm fixed, and then she was getting the hell out of here. She hadn't intended on finding a new group or anything of that matter. Clem just wanted to be back with Christa. "This might hurt a little..." Carlos trailed off, probing at the girl's arm, and pulling all of them out of their inner thoughts.<p>

"Ow!" Clementine winced.

"How's she looking?" Luke interrupted as he stopped pacing the floor for one moment.

"Her suturing skills need some work, but other than that she did pretty well for sewing up her own arm. She should be fine." Carlos answered, inspecting her arm one last time, making sure that everything was put in its place. Her arm was now bandaged to perfection, and shouldn't get infected or anything else of that nature.

"So, it wasn't a lurker bite?" Luke asked.

"If it was, the fever would have already set in and her temperature would have been through the roof." Carlos replied, and that's when Nick scowled and stormed out of the kitchen angrily. What was his problem? But Clem knew better; he was acting like that earlier when she first made her appearance. He had shot at her and nearly hit her, and it scared her like no other. Clem didn't really much care what he did though. The only thing she cared about now was that her arm was fixed, and that was all that mattered.

Luke flashed an apologetic look towards Carlos and Clem, then chased after Nick. Luke followed Nick out into the living room of the cabin and grabbed his shoulder, stopping him from walking away. "Hey man, what's wrong with you?" He asked his friend; his best friend if you wanted to get technical. Nick had taken this cynical type of attitude ever since his mother had passed away, but Luke didn't blame him. Everyone needed time to grieve the proper way. But pushing away the people that cared about you wasn't right. You were supposed to be surrounded by people who cared about you.

"I just want to be alone, okay?" Nick asked. "I don't need you checking up on me like you're my fuckin' babysitter or something." He said angrily, looking Luke directly in the eyes. Nick was always the first one to get hostile in any situation. He was known for having that hot headed trait.

"That's what friends do man." Luke tried to defend. "We look after each other."

"Just leave me alone Luke, just for a few minutes, please?" Nick asked, his blue eyes pleading.

Luke nodded, and let Nick walk away. He figured that he needed some time alone anyway, so Luke went back to assisting Clementine. He decided to bring her a bowl of oatmeal, because she was probably really hungry. So he took the bowl, and went back into the kitchen. "Hey, I brought you some food if you're hungry." He offered, walking through the doorway. Clementine smile gratefully, and went to sit at the kitchen table, digging into her bowl of food. She couldn't remember the last time she had a hot meal. "That's gonna leave one hell of a scar." Luke said, referring to her arm, trying to make conversation so that this wasn't awkward for them.

Clementine shrugged as she ate, "It doesn't bother me."

The door to the kitchen then opened, and Luke was surprised to see Nick back already. He looked down at Clem as she ate, "Hey... I just wanted to say I'm sorry for... For being a dick out there." He said, for a lack of words that was all that came to his mind. "I got kind of agro, and that was definitely not cool."

Luke interrupted, "Nick's been known to go off every once in a while. Don't hold it against him."

"Yeah, well, I guess we all have our moments." Nick muttered in reply.

"You definitely had one out there." Luke said.

"You were just protecting your friends." Clementine answered. "I get it."

"I didn't mean to be so harsh, I just... Had a bad experience once..." He trailed off.

"Don't we all?" Clementine retorted. "What happened?" And she regretted the words immediately as soon as they left her mouth, when she saw the sadness in Nick's big blue eyes.

"Nick... He lost his mom." Luke explained. "We took care of someone who was bit..." He trailed off, and it didn't take long for Clementine to put two and two together and figure things out.

"It was my fault." Nick claimed.

Luke sighed, "It was no one's fault. We thought we could control it... But we couldn't, and she turned, and his mom was standing right there... She got attacked. There was nothing we could do about it." He explained, looking over at his friend who had more than a pained expression on his face. He knew that Nick didn't like talking about it.

"Bad things happen to everyone..." Clementine said softly, trying to sympathize.

"Hopefully you understand." Nick said simply. "I'll be out on the porch if anyone needs me." He then left the kitchen silently, and Clementine and Luke remained quiet for a moment as she continued to eat her bowl of oatmeal.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: To be continued...?<strong>


	2. We Were Just Kids

"So... Since you're pretty much on your own, what's your plan?" Luke asked, breaking the silence, creating small talk so things wouldn't be awkward between him and Clementine.

"I don't know..." Clementine answered honestly. She hadn't really thought about a plan since she and Christa had gotten separated. Everything happened pretty fast, and she was more afraid than anything at the moment. There was nobody left that she knew, and that thought scared her a lot.

"Well, you're welcome to stay here if you want." Luke offered. "You can let yourself heal up and take some time to sort things out."

"Do you think everyone else will be okay with it?" Clem asked, remembering the harsh words that this cabin group had said to her when she arrived here. Only a few of them were nice to her, and she didn't want to be in a group full of hostile people who didn't trust her.

"They'll just have to deal with it." Luke smiled, as Clementine continued to eat her oatmeal. They then continued their conversation about multiple things. They talked of Clem's parents, Lee and Clem's old group, all the struggles they encountered during this so called apocalypse. Luke was nothing but understanding, and Clementine was glad that someone was willing to listen to everything they went through together. She started to eat again, and that's when Pete entered the kitchen.

"It's getting late." Pete said, looking down at a watch that he wore.

"Yeah." Luke nodded, "It's time to turn in anyway." He then stood up with a sigh, and bid Clementine a farewell. It would be time for her to go to bed as well. He wasn't feeling that tired though, so he decided to head out to the front porch to get some air before he went to bed. Luke also remembered that Nick was still out there, and he knew that his friend still probably felt bad for everything that went down today. But, what was done is done, and he knew that he couldn't take anything back. Even though Nick ended up apologizing, and Clementine accepted it, he still couldn't shake the feeling that he had done something wrong. "Hell of a day, huh?" Luke asked as he sat down on the porch step beside Nick.

"You could say that again." Nick replied with a small scowl etched into his boyish features. That's when Luke noticed the bottle of wine in his hands. He had probably been drinking for some time now, and he hated when Nick drunk.

"Maybe drinking right now isn't the best idea..." Luke trailed off, trying to grab the nearly empty bottle from Nick. It was clear now, that he had already drunk most of it anyway. Luke didn't know why his friend insisted on doing things like this. He knew he was still grieving, but still, he was kind of being an asshole about things nowadays.

Nick jerked the bottle away, "I am a grown ass man, if I want to drink then I fuckin' will." He slurred, and took another chug at the bottle. Luke sighed, there was no use in trying to argue with him. They were both stubborn as hell, and he knew that a fight would get them nowhere.

"Sorry man." Luke replied quietly.

Nick offered him the bottle, "You want the rest?" He asked. Luke contemplated drinking with his friend. It probably wasn't the best idea, but hell, this was the apocalypse. If now wasn't the time to have a drink, then he didn't know what was. Maybe it would even help him relax a little bit, after all, he was a bit tense at times.

"Aw, what the hell?" Luke shrugged and took the bottle, taking a rather large drink. It was strong and old wine, and the taste of it burned his throat like no other. No wonder why Nick got drunk so damn quick. The alcohol was stronger than anything he had tasted before. "Where'd you get this at anyway?" Luke asked, his speech starting to slur already, just after a few drinks.

Nick laughed, "Sarah found it underneath the house. She gave it to me for a present." He chuckled, looking up at the cloudy sky that was beginning to spit out drops of rain.

"Thank you Sarah." Luke joked as he took another drink. It was quiet between the two for a little while as it started to rain, and the sky cracked with thunder. The only sounds they heard were the occasional chirp of a cricket or two, or a gulping sound when they drunk the too strong wine. They figured they should go inside before they get soaked from the rain, but neither of them made a move. They were content with the moment right now, it was peaceful for once. And just for a minute, the two forgot that the world had gone to shit and was infested with walkers. It was like before, before when they were business partners, before, when everything was normal.

"Hey man, can I ask you something?" Nick asked, looking over at his best friend for more than twenty years. They had been through everything together, thick and thing. His baby blues were almost as cloudy as the sky, and you could tell he was very drunk; intoxicated even. Luke nodded and Nick sighed, "Do you remember when we were together?" Nick asked, taking Luke off guard. The two had never spoken of those moments before.

"We were just kids man." Luke said, waving it off. Of course, they were just teenagers, but still, the way they used to fool around with each other wasn't a kid thing to do. They kept it a secret, until Pete found out, and that's when they stopped, and went back to being friends instead of lovers, and they never spoke of it again.

"I don't care if we were kids." Nick retorted. "That shit was real. I loved you, and you acted like nothing ever happened between us..." He trailed off. "How come we never talked about it? Don't you care about me Luke?" He asked, looking over at the other man.

"Come on Nick, you're drunk. You don't know what you're talking about." Luke said, but in his mind, he knew everything Nick was saying was true, he just didn't want to face it. Maybe in a different world, they could have been together, they could have been happy. But things were not in their favor. Neither of them knew what to say, and that's when Nick went in for the kiss.


	3. Nick, What The Fuck?

The kiss was short and sweet, and brought back so many memories from years ago; years ago, when Nick and Luke were young and wild teenagers. It was bittersweet, and raw, and Luke could feel all of the emotions pouring out of his best friend for more than twenty years. He couldn't help but to feel bad for not reciprocating the kiss, and returning an equal amount of emotion, but now was just not the time for it. He felt as though the zombie apocalypse was not the time to be involved in a romantic relationship. Luke felt as though all of this was his fault.

When they separated, the two men just stared wide eyed at one another, shocked, afraid to say anything, but at a loss for words at the same time. As if this moment right here had been a dream; or a vision of some sort. It didn't feel real, it felt... Strange to say the least. Maybe because it ignited a spark between the two used to be lovers of long ago. Maybe they reincarnated something that died a long time ago. Maybe, just maybe, the two boys still had feelings for each other after all these years that had gone past.

Luke finally snapped out of his somewhat hypnotized trance. "Nick, what the fuck?" He almost yelled. Luke didn't intend on coming off as hostile as he did, but the kiss took him by surprise, and brought back all of those confusing feelings that he tried to suppress many years ago. He didn't know how to react to all of this, and most of all, he didn't want to hurt Nick's feelings. It felt like he was doing everything to hurt his feelings, even though he didn't mean to. He didn't know what else to say though, and this awkward moment was just getting worse by the second. "Nick..." Luke barely managed to get out; his breath coming out in short pants now. It was freezing outside, and he just wanted to go inside the cabin and go to bed.

By now, the two were soak and wet from the rain, and Nick felt like crying. He felt like he had been betrayed by his best friend. "I'm sorry." Nick said and stood up. He couldn't even look his friend in the eye at the moment. "I shouldn't have brought it up." He turned to walk into the cabin, and Luke wanted to stop him, wanted to tell him everything that he felt right now in this moment.

"Nick, wait..." But, he couldn't bring himself to do it, and he knew that nothing would change things right now. Nothing he said right now would make Nick change his mind about anything.

"Just forget I said anything." Nick said and Luke let him go into the house, and he thought it would be a better idea to talk when they were sober. He couldn't deal with this shit right now though, his head was pounding, and he just wanted to go to bed.

"Fuckin' idiot..." Luke mumbled to himself as he slowly made his way inside. Nick had already made his way into the bedroom that he shared with his uncle Pete, and Luke glanced slowly at the door as he disappeared into the other bedroom. He sighed loudly, and began stripping off his wet clothes to hang them up to dry. They shouldn't have sat out in the rain for so long, but what could he do now?

Once he was naked, he crawled into the bed and got underneath the covers. He couldn't sleep just yet though, he was trapped in his taunting thoughts from when he and Nick were kids. Maybe they'd still be together if he hadn't been so afraid of the fallout of being caught being with one another. Their relationship was actually pretty nice for a teenage fling. They were both happy together, and having fun together, one might say that the relationship was starting to get more serious. And that's when Pete found out about Luke and Nick together; Luke was the one who panicked and told Nick that they needed to stay friends. He never even thought about Nick's feelings at all.

Luke liked to use the excuse of they were just kids, and just curious and fooling around with each other. He didn't know if he had feelings for Nick. He suppressed all those confusing thoughts when they were caught being together. He didn't want to deal with the family issues, with being a gay person... It all seemed too much to deal with at the time, and he didn't know what to do. So he locked those thoughts and feelings up in a vault and didn't think about them... Until now. It was clear as day how Nick still felt about Luke. He obviously had romantic feelings for him, but didn't know how to tell the other man, well, until now. And now both of them were aware of how each other felt.

Luke tried not to think about it.

Of all times, why would Nick bring it up now? In the middle of a zombie apocalypse? Was it really eating at him that bad? Did he really just have to spill it all out? Luke wouldn't know the answer to those questions until he talked to his best friend again. In his mind, he felt so bad for only thinking of himself, and not thinking of Nick's feelings. What the hell was wrong with him? And why did he feel so shitty now? Did he still have lingering feelings for Nick, and would it be okay to express those feelings now? What would the others in the cabin think about it? These questions haunted Luke, and suddenly, he felt like a teenager again; afraid to express his feelings to the person that he loved. Would it be different now?


	4. You Could Have Saved Him

In the morning, Nick woke up with a major headache. He couldn't recollect the events of the night before, but he didn't want to. He knew by how drunk he was, that something bad had happened last night. He didn't want to think about it though; so he'd put it behind him and try to forget about it. Nick then sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the big bed. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he saw that Pete had already gotten out of bed long ago. The young man then got up, put his hat and boots on, and he was ready for the day.

Suddenly, the bedroom door opened. "I thought I heard you shufflin' around up here." It was Pete, peeking his head through the door. "Wanna go fishing?" He asked, a small smile pulling at the corners of his lips. He knew that fishing was Nick's favorite thing to do.

"Sure uncle Pete." Nick replied. Maybe this would help get his mind off things. The two men then headed downstairs where the rest of the cabin group members, and Clementine, were eating a little bit of something for breakfast. He noticed that Luke looked a little uncomfortable, and he tried not to make eye contact with him. "Anything left for me?" Nick asked about the breakfast.

Rebecca handed him a bowl, "Here you go Nick."

"Thanks Bec." Nick smiled and began eating.

"Hurry up and eat, we gotta get going." Pete said.

"Where are y'all going?" Luke asked.

"Fishing." Pete answered before Nick could open his mouth. He then looked over at Clementine who had just finished eating, "You want to come, Clementine?" He asked her, figuring she could use some time out of the house, and give everyone some space. After everything that happened the night before with Clem, the group was still a little bit shaken up.

"Yeah." She nodded, "I'll come."

"Can I go too?" Sarah asked enthusiastically.

"No." Carlos said sternly.

"But dad-"

"Sarah, I said no." He replied again. She only sighed and continued eating her breakfast. Nick was just about finished, so he hurried and shoveled the last couple of bites in his mouth so they could leave quickly. He did not want to be stuck in this tiny cabin if Luke was going to make everything extremely awkward between them.

"You ready?" Pete asked, and Nick nodded. "Let's go." Pete said, and grabbed his gun. Nick grabbed his gun as well, knowing that their fishing polls were hidden somewhere down by the river. They didn't like to carry them back and forth, so they left them down there. Clementine jumped up too, and the three were then on their way to the river. As they continued to walk on a dirt trail, Pete thought it would be a good idea to conjure up a conversation with Clementine. "So how you holding up?" He asked, "I heard you got an earful from Rebecca last night."

"She's all talk." Clementine said.

"Yeah, she gets like that every once in a while though." Pete said as they continued to walk.

"How far are the fish traps?" Clem asked.

"They ain't much farther." Pete answered. "Did anyone teach you how to shoot?"

"My friend Lee taught me." Clementine replied.

"That's good." Pete nodded, "It's important nowadays." Nick walked behind them silently, lost in his thoughts about everything that was going on. He was trying to think of a way to go talk to Luke, to bring everything up and settle the score. He sighed, Luke probably didn't even have feelings for him anymore, that's most likely why he acted the way he did last night. "You alright Nick?" Pete asked, pulling the young man out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm fine uncle Pete... Just tired." He lied.

"You and Luke were up pretty late last night, huh?" Pete asked, and Nick's eyes went wide. Did Pete know about what happened last night? Nick thought that he and Luke were the only ones up. Maybe he was wrong. "You two haven't changed at all." Pete added.

"Why are you bringing it up?" Nick asked, feeling slightly annoyed.

Pete shrugged, "You two have just been so close for so long."

"Yeah, well maybe it ain't like that anymore." Nick retorted.

"Fine, fine..." Pete trailed off, as they finally arrived to the river. When they got there, they couldn't believe what they saw. There were dead bodies everywhere, and Clementine actually recognized one as one of the men that separated her and Christa. "So much for fishing..." Pete mumbled as they checked the dead bodies. None of them had anything important on them, but they wanted to figure out who did this. The three of them went their separate ways around the river, everything going fine, until finally Pete screamed out in pain.

"Pete!" Nick yelled looking over to where his uncle was. He shot a walker in the head, but continued to look distressed.

"I'm fine!" Pete yelled back, but Clementine knew better. She knew that he had been bitten, and she was standing close enough to him that she could even see the bite marks on his ankle. "I just lost my footing... Damn it..." He continued to say.

"Shit! Lurkers!" Nick yelled and began shooting the lurkers that came near him.

"I'm out of ammo!" Pete yelled, and Clementine was stuck in the middle of them. "You two get your asses over here right now!" He nearly screamed to Clem and Nick.

"You come over here!" Nick replied. "I can cover you!" Clementine was unsure of what to do, so she quickly made her way over to Nick, dodging walkers as she ran. When she arrived to Nick finally, he only looked down at her, as if he was annoyed. He also tried to look for Pete, but he was still on the other side of the river.

"Nick!" Pete yelled out, surrounded by lurkers, and Nick tried to shoot them, but he had to reload. By the time he actually got his gun reloaded, Pete had been bitten multiple times, and died.

"Oh my god..." Nick barely managed to get out. "Pete!"

"We have to go!" Clementine warned.

"You could have saved him!" Nick yelled. "Why did you just leave him!"


	5. Just Not Built Like That

From there, Nick and Clementine maneuvered their way through the walkers and ran through the woods. "What are we gonna do?" Clementine asked as she ran, only to receive no answer from Nick. He was still mad at her, and it clearly showed. They ran and they ran, until finally they saw an abandoned shed. "In there!" Clem said and made a beeline for the building. Nick followed suit, unable to think of any coherent thoughts at the moment. His mind was cloudy, and he wasn't sure what to think at the moment.

"What now?" Nick asked as they hurried and shut the door. Both of them had to lean up against it to prevent the walkers from getting in.

"Find something!" Clementine nearly yelled as she held the door shut. Nick walked away from the door slowly, looking around the room for something to block the door off. Clem watched as he went and grabbed a rather large box, then moved it to sit in front of the door. It seemed to work at the moment, so Nick went and sat down up against the wall, and Clem watched him with careful eyes. "I'm sorry about Pete..." She managed to get out.

"Whatever..." Nick mumbled, staring into space. He couldn't believe his uncle was gone out of his life, just like that. His uncle had been his rock because his dad wasn't there, and now he had nobody. He wished he would have talked to Pete about Luke before all of this happened. Maybe if he did, he wouldn't be feeling so confused and shitty right now. Nick just wished that everything had turned out different, because this is not what he had in mind. "Why'd you leave my uncle?" He asked quietly, looking over at the little girl in front of him. "Back at the stream... Why'd you follow me and not him?"

"He got bit." Clem answered quickly.

"What?" Nick asked incredulously.

Clementine nodded, "Back at the stream, he wasn't going to make it."

"Oh..." Nick barely managed to get out.

"Do you think Luke will find us?" Clementine asked, and she could see the sadness in Nick's eyes as she pulled him out of his thoughts.

Nick shrugged, "I don't give a shit." Luke was the last person on his mind right now, and he couldn't care less if he came to find them or not. He just wanted to sleep and never wake up, that's what he was feeling right now... And Luke was probably glad that he was gone, now he wouldn't have to deal with his feelings.

"What do we do now?" Clem asked.

"I don't care."

"We should at least look around if we're stuck here." Clementine suggested. "Maybe we could find something to help us get out of here."

"Knock yourself out." Nick said with a shrug. He didn't feel like doing anything at the moment, maybe having a drink, or going to bed. But he couldn't do that now, not while he was stuck in this abandoned building. He just felt like crap, and had too much stuff on his mind. This was absolute hell, dealing with everything like this. He wished it would all just go away, but he knew that wishing never worked; not these days at least. Nick then watched as Clementine looked around the building, it wasn't until she moved a piece of plywood that he was interested in anything. "What is that stuff?" He asked, eyeing the jars of liquid on the shelf. "Let me see." Clementine then brought him a jar. He opened it and sniffed it, then took a drink. It was strong. "Whiskey..." He said.

"Now what?" Clementine asked.

"Oh fuck if I know... We wait I guess." Nick answered, taking another drink of the whiskey. He had nothing else better to do, so he might as well get drunk. It reminded him of a few nights ago when he and Luke sat out on the front steps of the cabin and got shitfaced. That felt like forever ago to him now, why couldn't he go back to that time and warn himself not to kiss Luke, or tell Pete that he shouldn't have went fishing? He imagined if Luke was here, he'd yell at him for drinking. But then they'd end of drinking together, just like old times. Nick hated himself right now, and he just wanted to numb the pain.

They sat in that small abandoned building for hours upon hours, waiting for someone, anyone to come for their rescue. By the time nightfall came, Nick had drank nearly every single one of those jars of whiskey. He couldn't believe it himself. He just sat there, wallowing in self pity while Clementine took a nap, until finally he got frustrated enough that he threw one of the empty jars at the wall. It crashed with a loud noise, causing Clem to wake up. She approached him angrily, "What's your problem?" She demanded to know.

Nick was silent for a moment before he answered, "I had to kill my mom." He said. "That sounds weird when I say it out loud, huh?" He asked, looking up at Clem. "Luke always used to push me." Nick didn't know what was wrong with him at the moment, and he didn't know why he was venting to a little girl, but it felt good. "I never wanted to go into business with him. I think he just used the business thing as a distraction for our feelings for each other." He admitted. "I wish I was like him... I wish I could just keep moving all the time... Never stop and dwell on stupid shit like feelings. But I'm just not built like that." He finally finished, glad to get all of this stuff off his chest.

"I'm sorry." That was the only appropriate thing Clementine could think of to say.

But Nick wasn't done, "Everyone I grew up with... It all happened to them. And now it's gonna happen to us. We're all so fucked. This whole world is fucked."

"We'll make it." Clementine argued.

"Bullshit."


	6. You'll Die Here

It was quiet for a moment between the two until Nick actually spoke up, "Look kid, I know they're not coming for us. You should make a run for it." He suggested to Clementine. It's not that he wanted to die, he would sacrifice himself for a younger life instead. After all, he didn't have much to live for these days.

"What are you gonna do?" Clementine asked, bewildered that Nick would suggest such a thing.

"Stay here. I'm tired." He answered simply. "Go find Luke and the rest. They're good people, they'll take care of you."

"But you'll die here." Clem said.

Nick shrugged, "So what kid? It ain't like I got anything left to live for." He answered.

"Come with me." Clementine ordered.

Nick scoffed, "Are you kiddin' me? And leave all this?"

"You can't just sit here and die." Clementine replied harshly.

"Why not?" Nick asked. "What does it matter?"

"You still have Luke." Clem suggested. But the sound of Luke's name made Nick cringe. He didn't want to go back and face the man that rejected him. The only man that he ever had legitimate feelings for. "Nick," Clementine said, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Please," She begged. "I need you."

Nick sat there and contemplated her words, "You're right." He said as he stood up and wobbled for a bit. He was surprised that he wasn't drunker than he was from all that whiskey. "If we get separated," He started, "The cabin is only about a half a mile from here. You can't miss it." He said.

Clementine nodded, "Okay."

"You ready?" Nick asked. He then watched as Clementine moved the box out of the front of the door. "Fuck it," He muttered under his breath once she got the door open. He knew that Clem was right though, he couldn't just sit her and wallow in his own self pity. What kind of man would he be if he just gave up? He knew Pete would never want him to give up, so he'd go on for his sake. There were walkers all around them, and as soon as Nick turned around, he smashed one in the head with the whiskey glass, "Ha! Fuck you motherfucker!" He laughed. But the walkers came closer, and before you knew it, he and Clementine were trapped by walkers. "Hey!" He yelled, creating a distraction. "Get the fuck out of here." He said to Clem.

Clementine nodded, and obliged to his request. She took off running as fast as she could, and went in the direction that Nick had pointed her in. Why would he sacrifice himself for her though? It didn't make sense to her. But Clem pushed her thoughts away, and ran away, dodging walkers as fast as her little feet would carry her. She ran and ran and ran, until finally, the cabin came into view. She opened the cabin door, and walked inside only to see Carlos and Rebecca sitting at the kitchen table. "Clementine, are you alright?" Carlos asked. "Luke's not with you?"

"Where's Alvin?" Rebecca asked, clearly distressed.

"What happened?" Carlos asked. "It's been hours, where are they?"

"Clem!" Rebecca nearly yelled.

"We got attacked..." Clementine answered. "Pete got bit, and Nick stayed behind."

"Jesus..."

"Where were you? Where were you exactly?" Rebecca asked frantically.

"Down by the stream." Clem answered.

"We got to go!" Rebecca yelled.

Carlos sighed, "Just hold on Rebecca."

"My husband is still out there!" She yelled again. "Get the guns!" She said. Carlos nodded, and left the room. "Luke and Alvin went out looking for you guys. I told them not to, but they went anyway." She explained. Carlos then returned with a rifle and pistol in hand. He gave the rifle to Rebecca, and the two were on their way.

"Clementine, can you please watch Sarah?" Carlos asked. "She's upstairs, just distract her."

"You can trust me." She obliged, and Carlos nodded, and ran out the door.

Nick sighed, by now he had made his way back inside that small building and was sitting back in that corner with his whiskey again. Walkers were still outside because he couldn't fight them all off, and he had ran back in here instead. Hopefully Clementine made it back to the cabin, and hopefully they'd come back and look for him. If not, then he'd die here, alone. And he didn't want that anymore, not after everything that had happened today. He wanted to keep living for Pete, and he wanted to make things up to Luke. He didn't want to die knowing that his best friend was mad at him. He couldn't live with himself like that.

The young man took another drink of the whiskey, and sat it down. He figured he should sober up before Luke and the others came to find him. He didn't want them to see him like this, especially Sarah, he wanted to be a positive role model for her especially. She never wanted him to feel like he did.

Nick didn't know how long he was in that building for. He mostly slept through the time because hell, there was nothing else for him to do. He just felt tired all the time, and he just wanted Luke and the others to find him already. He was hungry, and cold, and he just wanted to go home, where it was safe. That's when he heard voices stirring outside. If he wasn't mistaken, it sounded like Rebecca and Clementine, and suddenly he had hope again because his friends had found him.

"Nick?" He heard Luke's voice outside, and that's when the doors opened, letting daylight into the small building. Luke stepped inside, "Jesus..." He muttered as he saw Nick laying on the ground. He looked unconscious.

"Hey man, got any aspirin?" Nick asked jokingly as he sat up.

Luke chuckled, "Nick you asshole."


	7. People Just Don't Understand

Luke reached down to help his friend off the ground, and pulled him into a warm embrace. "Pete's dead man..." Nick tried not to cry, but it was hard not to when he was in the arms of his best friend, and the only man he ever loved. He hated Luke, yet wanted to succumb to him at the moment. He thought he was never going to see his best friend again, yet here he was right in his arms like nothing ever happened between them.

"I know man, I do" Luke tried to comfort. "But we gotta get moving, okay? Carver's gang showed up." He explained. "Can you make it?" He asked.

"Yeah, yeah."

"Okay, let's go." The two men, and Clementine then rejoined the rest of the group, and they all began their journey. Nick was glad that Luke was acting somewhat normal now, and that all the awkward tension was gone. Maybe now things could go back to normal. Or maybe Nick would have a chance to explain himself and his actions.

"Hey Clem?" Nick asked as they walked. "I just want to say thanks for not giving up on me." He said. It was mostly because of her that she was still alive right now. She was the one that led Luke to him. But why wouldn't she? Nick had practically poured his heart and soul out to that little girl after he drank all that whiskey in that shed. Clementine knew about Nick and Luke's past relationship, and she knew how Nick still felt after all these years.

"Next time you should listen to me." Clementine said. "But you're welcome."

"I'm sorry..." Nick mumbled, now feeling like a total ass. He slowed down his step and walked behind the rest of the group. He really just wanted to be alone at the moment, and even though these people were his friends, he wished that they didn't see him like this. They were probably judging the hell out of him right now, but if he was being honest with himself, he really didn't give a shit at the moment.

"What happened back there in that shed?" Luke asked. "Did he do something stupid?" He continued to question. "Look, you can tell me." He prodded. "I'm not gonna get mad or nothing."

"He drank a lot." Clementine started.

"Damn it Nick." Luke cursed.

"He wanted to die, but then again, he also saved my life." She answered.

"I'm worried about that kid... I'm always worried about him. Just keep an eye on him for me, would you?" Luke asked, "Nick's unpredictable, it's hard telling what he'll do next, you know?" He said as they kept walking.

"And he also told me about you guys." Clementine said nonchalantly.

"Did he?" Luke asked, turning to look at Clem. It didn't surprise him at all. Nick wasn't the type of guy to hold in all of his feelings. He loved to vent to people, and get stuff off his chest, and boy did he really love to talk when he had alcohol in him. After all, he had to do something with that liquid courage. "Look, Clem, I ain't gonna lie to you... Me and Nick are really complicated, I wouldn't get into it if I were you. Some people just don't understand." He said, shaking his head.

Clementine shrugged, "It doesn't seem that complicated to me."

"Hm?" Luke questioned.

"You like him, he likes you. What's the problem?" She asked.

"I never said I liked him." Luke retorted.

"You didn't have to say it, I could tell." Clementine fired right back. "And I think that's fine."

"I figure we got about four or five days to reach those mountains." Luke said, pulling out a map and changing the subject. He didn't have time to think about his love life or his emotions now. There were more important things to think about right now. He'd deal with it later. "If they're tracking us, we should be able to lose them up there." He finished, and kept trekking ahead.

"Five days?" Rebecca asked incredulously.

"It's gonna be okay, Bec." Alvin tried to reassure.

"We have to keep moving now, it's our only choice." Carlos chimed in.

And so they walked, most of them staying quiet the majority of the time. There was really nothing to say in a time like this, and so everybody dwelled in their thoughts. Would they lose Carver's group? Would they make it to the mountains in time? Would Rebecca be able to travel like this with her baby? All the questions that couldn't be answered were the ones that floated through everyone's mind. And Nick, well he just couldn't stop thinking about Pete, or Luke. Those were the thoughts consuming his head right now, and he didn't know how he was going to deal with them. He knew he needed to talk to Luke about everything soon or he was going to go crazy.

"Dad, it's getting dark." Sarah pointed out, pulling everyone out of their thoughts.

"She's right." Rebecca replied. "Can we stop and make camp? My back is killing me anyway."

"She does need her rest." Alvin said.

The group stopped walking and Luke turned around, "Alright, we can make camp but we leave at first light." Everyone sighed of relief, and they found a good spot in the secluded trees to build a small fire to warm up. It got pretty cold at night, so everyone would have to stay relatively close to the fire. "Not too big." Luke said, "We don't want them to be able to find us." He said referring to Carver's group. Nick decided that he would wait until everyone went to sleep, and that would be the perfect time to talk to Luke alone.


	8. You Pushed Me Away

It had gotten particularly cold that night after the group had made camp. In fact, Nick had gotten so cold, he found himself scooting closer and closer to the fire every so often. He couldn't wait for everyone else to fall asleep. He couldn't help but to feel as if there was this little voice in his head, nagging at him every few minutes to talk to Luke. Was this what being in love felt like? Quite frankly, Nick didn't know because all his life, he only had eyes for Luke, but Luke was too preoccupied with parties and pretty girls to notice. What had changed between them? Whatever it was, it didn't matter anymore, because Nick planned on confessing tonight, and he hoped Luke wouldn't be an asshole about things.

The wind blew, and Nick shivered violently. Damn, it was cold. How much longer was it going to be before everyone was sleeping? He knew that he should probably get some sleep too, but he knew that sleep would never come. There was too much on his mind at the moment, too much stuff to think about. Insomnia would have him tonight. The only person still awake was Alvin, but that's because he was only checking on Rebecca, and of course Luke was still up, tending the fire and keeping everyone warm.

"Hey man." Nick called over to Luke. "Did we bring any blankets? It's cold as hell out here." He complained.

"Let me check." Luke replied, getting up and going over to look in one of the backpacks that they brought for this journey. "You're in luck, there's one left." He said, pulling a small fuzzy blanket out of the bag. Luke then walked over and wrapped it around Nick, and sat down beside him. "Are you alright man?" Luke asked, looking over at his friend. "Today was a hell of a day." He added. Nick was so thankful that this didn't feel awkward in any way, shape, or form.

"I'm managing, I guess." Nick replied with a shrug.

"I'm sorry about Pete." Luke said. "He was like my uncle too." Which was true since the two grew up together.

"I just wish things were different." Nick trailed off. "It's not fair. That should have been me who got bit, not him. Pete didn't deserve that." And as he said those words, Nick found himself sinking deeper and deeper into the pit of self loathsome that he didn't want to be in. Albeit, he did miss Pete, but Pete wasn't supposed to be the subject for this conversation. He had to get his mind off of it, or else he wouldn't be in the mood to do any talking tonight. He would grieve for Pete another time, but for now, he had to apologize to Luke, and get his head right.

"But I'm glad it wasn't you." Luke commented. "You're my best friend Nick, if anything happened to you man... Then I don't know what I would do with myself." Nick knew that those words were a lie though. He knew that Luke wasn't phased by anything. He was so emotionless, so ready to just move forward and never look back, so the type of person to not want to dwell on things for too long. He was always just ready to go.

"I wish I was like you Luke, wish I could just keep going and not let my feelings get involved in shit... But I'm not like that. I'm the complete opposite." The other man replied. "I can't help that I'm not like you... But you shouldn't be punishing me for it." He added, not being able to look his friend in the eye. Nick felt like a complete idiot at the moment, and for a second, he regretted ever doing this. He was a man wrapped too much in his emotions, but he couldn't help it, that was just the way he was. He couldn't take anything back, he couldn't change a thing.

"What the hell are you talking about Nick?" Luke asked.

"Everything... This whole friendship." He answered sadly. "You pushed me away when you knew I loved you." His eyes were watering badly, but he didn't want to cry in front of Luke, he didn't want to look like the weak one. And this time, it dawned on Luke; he knew that Nick was talking about the kiss the other night, but he didn't get it. It wasn't just that one kiss, it was everything before it and more.

"Nick, how many times do I have to tell you? We were just kids! Fooling around, having fun." He exclaimed.

"Maybe for you Luke!" Nick said, finally looking up at the man with his tears threatening to fall down his bearded face. "But did you ever stop and think about me? I fucking fell in love with you, and all you did was waive it off. Pushed me away! Because Luke never has feelings, Luke doesn't like to be involved with his emotions." His voice was cracking and you could tell that he couldn't hold it in for much longer.

"I'm sorry." Luke said, defenseless, and feeling like such a crappy friend. He didn't know that he had put Nick through all of this torture. He didn't know because Nick never came and talked to him about any of this before. It was obvious the two had romantically involved feelings for each other, but neither of them was strong enough to finally make that move. Nobody wanted to get to that step, that's why it had been ignored for this long.

"And I know that I was drunk the other night when we kissed, but I meant it. I meant it Luke." Nick said, and after that things were quiet.

"Nick..." Luke trailed off.

"No." Nick said, "I've said all I've had to say, I'm done."

"Can I say something?" Luke asked, feeling like shit.

Nick scoffed, "Sure, knock yourself out."

"The only reason I pushed you away is because I was scared."


	9. Every Damn Minute

"You were scared?" Nick asked incredulously. "How the fuck did you think I felt?" He couldn't believe that Luke was trying to turn this whole argument around. What a jerk! But, on the other hand, he did want to hear Luke's reasoning for why the never continued their relationship, and why things got so weird between them. He wanted to know why after all these years, Luke was still scared to become romantically involved with his best friend.

Luke scoffed, "Can you stop being selfish for one damn minute so I can explain myself?" He asked, "Don't you want a fucking reason?"

"Can you lower your damn voice?" Nick retorted, "Before you wake up the whole goddamn group?"

"Nick, I don't want to fight with you." Luke warned, and that's when Nick's anger turned into sadness, and there he went, wallowing in self apathy and pity. He didn't want to fight with his best friend, especially not over something like this. Best friends were supposed to be able to tell each other anything, no matter what the consequences. "So just shut the hell up and listen." He ordered, and surprisingly Nick obliged. He actually listened to his friend, but after all, he knew that Luke had always been the dominant one in their relationship.

Nick sighed, "I don't want to fight with you either man..." He trailed off, "It's just with everything that's been happening... You know, with us, with Pete, Carver. I'm just really stressed out. You're my best friend Luke, I don't want to ruin things between us... Even if my stupid feelings are in the way." He concluded, looking over at the other man with his big blue eyes. He felt like he had cried more in these past few days than he had in his life. Why did he let his emotions always get the best of him? He'd always been that way. "I'm sorry you were scared, but I was scared too."

Luke nodded, ready to explain himself now, "When we were younger, I thought I had feelings for you too Nick. I loved every damn minute we spent together, I loved that we lived in the same neighborhood, I loved that we had classes at school together. I loved that we fooled around together, and did the things we did." He spoke as a slow blush started creeping up to his cheeks. Nick listened intently, waiting for the problem to arise. "And I knew you felt the same, I could tell so easily that you loved me, that you cared for me more than anyone else in my life did. I was going to tell you, confess or whatever, but I tried talking to my parents first, you know? So I could get some advice, and it didn't go well." Luke explained, not being able to make eye contact with Nick.

"So what happened?" Nick asked, reaching out to grab Luke's hand. He accepted it gratefully, and squeezed for reassurance. Nick was intrigued, because in his head, he always thought that Luke just didn't even like him in the first place, but now he knew really that there was something, or someone else rather, that was keeping them from being together. It infuriated him that someone didn't want them to be together, but also it saddened him at the same time.

"Nick, my parents were so fucking homophobic..." Luke replied, "My own dad called me a fag, and I wanted to cry right in front of him..." He sounded as though he was about to cry now, and this was the first time that Nick had ever really seen Luke so vulnerable to his emotions. Usually, he just pushed them away, or ignored them, but he was letting them all out right now, and Nick was surprised.

Nick squeezed his best friend's hand again, as a way of telling him that it was okay to cry, it was okay to let your emotions out. "I'm sorry..." He managed to get out.

"They gave me an ultimatum. They told me to either stop doing what the hell we were doing, or just stop seeing you all together." He explained. "And you know I couldn't live with myself if we weren't friends anymore, so that's why we had to stop." His voice was cracking, and Nick could tell he wouldn't be able to hold it in anymore. He knew the tears would start falling anytime now.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Nick asked.

The other man shook his head, "I thought about it, but I knew you wouldn't understand."

"I understand now though..." Nick replied.

"I know man." Luke answered. "Hey, you remember when your dog died and you spent the night at my house?" He asked out of nowhere, finally looking up at the other man with his tearful brown eyes. Nick nodded, how could he forget? Even though his dog had died, that was practically one of the best nights of his life. "Could you hold me like that? Like the way I held you?" Luke asked, and Nick was surprised to even hear those words emit from his best friend's lips. "I just... I just need something right now. I've never felt this way."

Nick smiled, "Until morning light." He answered. After that, he and Luke laid down beside one another, and Luke rested his head on Nick's chest while Nick stroked his hair. It was a comforting gesture, and Nick swore that he could feel tears soaking through his shirt. Luke was really crying, and Nick could hardly believe it at the moment. They laid there for awhile in silence, the only sound was the crackling of the fire, until Nick finally decided to speak again. "Hey Luke, do you still have feelings for me?" He asked, but received no answered because Luke had already fallen asleep. A part of him already knew the answer to that question though, or else this talk between the two men wouldn't have even happened in the first place. "Never mind." He whispered, and kissed his lover on the forehead while he slept.


	10. Four More Days

When the morning arrived, Nick was still awake, he hadn't slept a wink all night. He wanted to remember this moment with Luke, because he didn't know if something like this would ever happen again. He still didn't know if Luke had reciprocated his feelings of romance towards him. The sun rose slowly, as the fire began to die out, and Nick knew that the others would soon be awake, and this bliss would have to end for Luke's sake. Nick, of course, didn't mind showing his affections in front of other people. Luke, however, was the complete opposite, wanting to keep his affections a secret. "Luke..." He spoke softly, before shaking the other man gently awake. He knew that if they wanted to avoid Carver they had to get going.

"Morning already?" Luke asked as he opened his eyes slowly, he was groggy from sleeping on the ground and crying his eyes out before he fell asleep, but happy at the same time because he slept in Nick's arms. He didn't want this moment to end. "Damn..." He trailed off as he attempted to sit up.

"Afraid so." Nick answered sadly. "But we gotta get going."

Luke nodded, "Yeah, I know..." He then hesitated before he spoke his next words, "Thank you for last night, Nick... I really needed it."

"You did the same for me, it was the least I could do." Nick waived it off as something nonchalant, but in all actuality, it was something that he had wanted to do for such a long time now. He was glad that he and Luke were able to tie all loose ends between them.

"And to answer your question, I do have feelings for you." Luke revealed, with a small smile.

A blush rose to Nick's cheeks, "You heard that?"

"And I also felt you kiss me." Luke retorted. "But I don't mind."

Nick smiled, "I'm glad to hear that."

"We'll talk more later, okay? But right now, we've got to get the others up and get moving before Carver shows up." Luke changed the subject, but Nick agreed immediately. They did not want to get caught by Carver, and they did not want to be anywhere near that man. In a matter of minutes, they had the rest of the group up and ready, and their campsite and fire destroyed so that there was no trace of them even being there in the first place. They were confident that Carver wouldn't be able to tell where they were at.

Sarah whined, "Dad, how much more do we have to walk?"

"About four more days honey." Carlos answered. She was quiet after that. Albeit, the group was already tired just after one day of traveling, they still had to keep going for the sake of their safety. No doubt four more days would take all of the energy out of them, and they would all be at each other's throats just because they were tired. Luke was not looking forward to that point. Hopefully the four days would go by quickly, and they'd be in the mountains and at a point of safety. But even when they did get to the mountains, they still had to find a place to take shelter up there.

"Something on your mind?" Nick asked, pulling Luke out of his thoughts.

Luke sighed, "Just thinking about what's gonna happen when we finally reach the mountains." He answered.

"Hey," Nick interjected. "Everything's gonna be okay, alright? We'll be fine."

"How do you know that?" Clementine asked, butting into the conversation.

"Because I just do." Nick replied. "We just have to work together and get through these four more days as a team."

"I like that idea." Rebecca chimed in. "But my back is already killing me." She complained, "Do we have any water that I can drink?"

"Here." Luke said, reaching into one of the many backpacks they brought. He found a half bottle of water and gave it to Rebecca. "You need it more than the rest of us." He spoke. He didn't want Rebecca to go into labor early, so she was allowed to eat and drink and pretty much do whatever she wanted. They all cared for her, to keep her and the baby safe.

"Is that all the water we have left?" She asked incredulously. Luke only nodded. "Then I'm not drinking it. We need to save it." She insisted.

Alvin sighed, "Come on Bec, the baby needs it." He tried to persuade his wife to drink the water, but he knew that she was stubborn as hell, and she wouldn't do it. "Well, if you're not going to drink the water, at least take it easy." He convinced. She agreed on that, and the group continued walking. Luckily, there weren't many lurkers around, so that was the least of their worries at the moment. Their only concern was getting to those mountains with no casualties or deaths. After another successful day of traveling, the sun was starting to set in the sky again, and it would be dark soon, so the group decided on setting up a camp somewhere. To their surprise, there was a small shed nearby that they could stay in.

"Now this is a good place to camp out." Carlos commented as they checked the building for walkers.

"Should we build a fire?" Sarah asked.

"Indoors?" Clementine asked.

"We still need to stay warm." Alvin pointed out.

"Good point," Luke commented. "Come on Nick, let's go get some firewood. Everyone else get settled in for the night." He ordered, and he and Nick made their way outside of the shed. "Thanks for coming with me." Luke said as he and Nick walked into a deeper part of the woods they were in. They only needed a few logs and sticks to make their fire last for the night.

"I kind of didn't have a choice." Nick joked.

Luke shrugged, "I just wanted to be alone with you."


	11. And Things Were Still Shitty

The two men then wandered deeper and deeper into the dark woods, searching for the firewood that they were supposed to bring back to the rest of the group. Of course, they were still waiting back at the old shed that they had decided to take shelter at for the night. Nick and Luke hadn't been gone that long, but still, how long was too long in the zombie apocalypse? It was very dark out, and there were few stars illuminating the path that they walked on. "We shouldn't go too far." Nick brought up, causing Luke to turn and look at him. But he was right. They didn't know if there were walkers out here, and with it being so dark, they wouldn't be able to tell. They had brought guns, but if they had to shoot them, it would draw the walkers to them because of the loud noise.

"Okay." Luke agreed and they stopped walking.

"We shouldn't stay gone too long either." He pointed out as well, "The group might get worried." He added, causing Luke to sigh.

"Will you just lighten up, Nick?" Luke asked. "Relax." A laugh came from his lips, and Nick couldn't believe how his friend was acting. He was so loose, so okay with everything, it was almost as if they were teenagers again. Free to do whatever came to their minds. Nick was surprised; he hadn't seen this side of Luke in years, and he'd be lying to himself right now if he said that he didn't like it. "The group knows that we can take care of ourselves." Luke pointed out. "I just wanted to spend some time alone with you." It was a relief hearing this come from him. Of course, Nick did want to spend time with Luke, he just didn't want to be so straight forward with it, and he didn't want to come off as clingy.

Nick felt a smile pulling at the corners of his lips, "Oh yeah? And why's that?"

Luke chuckled, "So I can do this." He walked closer to the other man, and Nick could feel his cheeks starting to heat up as Luke came closer. And before you knew it, their lips were pressed together in a chaste kiss. It was much better than the drunk kiss, Nick concluded. Better, because they were both sober, and better because Luke had initiated it, which was great, because he reciprocated Nick's feelings. He knew that none of this should matter since the world was ending, and things were still shitty, but he didn't care. He didn't care, because for the first time in a long time, Nick was truly happy.

"Damn..." Nick managed to get out when they separated. "You haven't kissed me like that since we were in high school."

Luke shrugged, "It's different now, I guess."

Nick laughed, "Yeah, I guess when the world is ending you can do whatever the fuck you want."

Luke hesitated, "I didn't mean it like that man."

"Yeah, I know." Nick waived it off. "I'm just messing with you."

"It didn't sound like it." Luke replied.

Nick scoffed, "Who's the one that needs to lighten up now?" He retorted. Of course, he was only joking, but he knew that joking around with Luke always led to much more. It was never just joking around, there was always some sort of hidden meaning to it. And that was only because the two men knew each other so very well.

"We should get back to the others now." Luke said, rubbing the back of his neck. Nick knew that that was something he did when he was nervous of uncomfortable. "Grab a few of those logs and we should be good." He said, and Nick nodded, picking up some firewood. He wondered if it was something he said or did that made this moment awkward now. Or maybe Luke wasn't fully ready for this type of relationship again. Maybe he needed to gradually step back into it, instead of just diving in all at once.

They began walking back to the shed, "Are you okay, man?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Luke replied. It had been notably quiet between the two in the last few moments as they walked.

"Hey Luke?" Nick asked.

"Yeah?"

He sighed, "I don't want you to feel like you're rushing into anything, alright?" Nick explained. "I want you to be comfortable with this before we start messing around again, because, well, I don't want you to regret it. I mean, I believe you when you say you have feelings for me, it's just everything that's happened in that past... I get scared sometimes." Nick added. And there he went again, leaving his emotions everywhere. He couldn't help it though, and he was glad he said it, because he felt ten times better now that he had it off of his chest.

Luke nodded, "I get it, and it's my fault that you feel that way."

"So you're really okay with this?" Nick asked for the umpteenth time.

Luke laughed, "I'm more than okay with it." He continued, "I fucking love you, Nick." He hadn't meant for it to come out so casual sounding, but it did, and he hated himself for it. He didn't want to come off as a casual lover, he wanted Nick to know that he was totally serious about this; that he was totally serious to be committed to another person.

"You don't mean that... Do you?" Nick asked as they continued to walk.

"Of course I mean it." Luke retorted. They were nearly back at the shed now. Somehow, Nick knew that Luke was telling the truth. Because Luke was not a man of his feelings, and he wouldn't just say something like that out of the blue if he didn't mean it in the first place. "You know I don't just say shit like that." He added with a chuckle.

"You're right." Nick agreed. "In that case, I fucking love you too Luke."

"I knew that already." Luke smiled.


	12. Aren't You Tired?

It only took them a few moments to arrive back at the shed with the others. They had gathered the firewood, and Carlos had begun to make a fire immediately. The group was exhausted from the days events and travels, and were more than ready to get some much needed shut eye. Once the fire was built, it didn't take long for the shed to warm up, and the group laid down blankets to go to bed. They didn't have much, but what they did have, came in handy. It wasn't long before everyone else was asleep, and Nick and Luke were the only two awake once again.

Nick's head was still swimming from the moments that had occurred earlier. He couldn't believe that Luke actually told him that he loved him. Sure, it was bad timing, with it being the end of the world and all that shit, but he didn't care. He was happy; happy that the only person he ever loved finally reciprocated his feelings. Now, they just had to make it out of this thing alive. They had to try not to get killed, or eaten. But things were crazy in this world now, and they had to look out for each other like no other. And he promised that he would have Luke's back until the end, and he hoped that Luke would do the same.

"Hey," Luke spoke quietly, pulling Nick out of his thoughts, and trying not to wake the others.

"Yeah?" Nick answered, equally quiet.

"Aren't you tired?" Luke asked, looking over at his newfound lover, and studying him. He couldn't help but to notice how calm Nick looked in this moment. Hell, even if he was tired, he didn't look like it. He looked content with the moment, even though things were anything but contempt. It was like he was masking his emotions, and hiding everything that had happened so far.

"Aren't you tired?" Nick retorted, asking the same question, a smirk playing on his lips.

Luke chuckled lowly, "Quit being an asshole."

Nick couldn't help but to laugh, and he then found himself laying his head on Luke's shoulder. A sigh escaped his lips, "Why does shit have to be like this?"

"I know man..." Luke empathized. "It sucks."

"Yeah, it does..." Nick trailed off.

Luke shrugged, "Just try not to think about it. That's what helps me. Think about things that make you happy."

"Like you." Nick responded immediately.

Luke chuckled again, "If that helps, sure." It was moments like this, that Luke really appreciated his time with Nick. He liked that they could just sit and talk like this for hours about everything and nothing at the same time. Sometimes, it was like they could read each other's mind, and other times, they didn't even have to speak. They just enjoyed each other's company; enjoyed the feeling of one another, of being in each other's arms. "We should get some sleep, though." Luke added. "We still have three more days until we reach those mountains." He continued.

"What happens when we get to the mountains?" Nick asked.

"I don't know, Nick." Luke answered honestly.

Nick sighed, "Me either."

It was quiet for a moment until Luke spoke again, "Let me sleep in your arms again tonight?" He asked.

"Until morning light." Nick answered, causing a smile to appear on Luke's face. The two then laid down on the makeshift bed like before, with Luke laying his head on Nick's chest. "Goodnight Luke." Nick whispered as he stroked the tope of Luke's head. He wished things could be like this forever; they could just stay here, unmoving and in each other's arms. Life would be so much more simpler, and easier. They could just stay here, and be content.

"Goodnight Nick." Luke replied.

When morning finally came, Luke was the first one to wake. The first thing he noticed was the warmth emitting from the body underneath him, and he noticed that Nick was still sleeping like a baby, and even snoring slightly. In that moment, Luke decided that Nick looked younger when he was sleeping. His face was calmer, and all his worry lines and frowns were gone. It reminded him of old times, of when they were younger, and still fresh into their relationship. Luke knew that he treated Nick horribly, and that's why he was going to do everything in his power to make it up to him now. He was going to make sure that he gave Nick whatever he wanted, make sure that he was happy. It wasn't going to be easy, but he was going to make sure that he did it.

"Stop staring at me." Nick said, surprising Luke. "It's fucking weird." His blue eyes then opened, and a small smile shown on his lips.

"Don't act like you haven't done it before." Luke replied, sitting up.

"Is everyone else up?" Nick asked changing the subject as he too, sat up.

Luke shook his head, "Not yet."

"Better wake 'em up." Nick noted. "We have to get going."

"You're right." Luke said. "Three more days." The two then woke up the rest of the group, gathered their supplies, and put out the fire so they could start walking again. It still seemed like they had forever to keep walking when it was only three more days. But, they honestly hadn't got too far with all the stopping and whatnot. And once they were back on the traveling path, the complaining started once again. It seemed as though everyone was tired of walking, but they had no choice, because they didn't want to be caught by Carver.

"It's only three more days." Carlos tried to encourage, but it honestly didn't help. So the group trekked on in silence, just hoping that they would get to safety soon, and not have to worry about traveling anymore.


	13. Just Trying To Protect You

The group didn't have a choice, but they had to keep walking at night as well if they wanted to make good time. Of course, they stopped to take breaks, but there was no more making camp. They had to lose Carver for sure, and the only way to do that was if they kept walking at all times. They couldn't stop or they would lose time. It seemed as though they had walked for eternity, when in all actuality, it had only been three days. And that's when they arrived to a big red bridge. Luke pulled out his map, "We have to cross that bridge to get up into the mountains." He noted.

"Do you think that's safe?" Nick asked.

Luke sighed, "Good point. If we send the whole group over we might get trapped."

"So what should we do?" Clementine asked.

"I'll sneak across, and make sure it's safe, then y'all can cross." Luke replied.

"You think splitting up the group is a good idea?" Carlos questioned.

"I never said it was a good idea, but it's better risking everybody at once." He answered.

"What's your plan?" Alvin asked.

"Clem and I can make it across, and make sure it's clear." Luke decided.

Nick nodded, "Sounds good."

Carlos interrupted, "Clementine should stay here... She's... She's just a little girl, Luke."

"I can do it." Clementine said, a determined look on her face.

Nick stood up, figuring he should go as well. "I can go too." He said, looking at Luke.

"You stay here with the group, they need you." Luke replied, a certain look in his eyes that showed genuine worry. Was he really that concerned for Nick's safety? Because if he was, it damn sure surprised Nick. He couldn't believe that Luke was looking out for him like that, but also, with the way their relationship was progressing as of late, it wasn't surprising at all. "We'll signal you guys when it's safe, okay?" Luke said. Nick hoped that the bridge was clear, after all, he didn't want anything to happen to Luke. He made sure to make a mental note to keep clear watch, and make sure nothing weird was going on on the bridge, and if something was going on, he'd be more than ready to stop it.

"I don't like this." Carlos said.

"Yeah, well when's the last time you liked anything, Carlos?" Luke retorted as he and Clementine began walking away and making their way towards the bridge entrance.

"I hope he knows what the hell he's doing." Carlos muttered once Luke was out of hearing range.

"He does." Nick said, sticking up for him. From that moment, he kept his eyes peeled on that bridge for the slightest thing to go on. He watched as Clem and Nick made it to about the middle of the bridge, and they stopped for some sort of reason. He looked down the scope of his gun to see what the hell was going on. "Something's wrong." He said, informing the rest of the group while they stood in waiting.

"What's happening?" Rebecca asked.

"They stopped." Nick answered.

"What? Why?" Alvin asked.

"There's a man at the other end of the bridge." Nick answered. "Come on, we gotta get moving." The group actually listened to him for once and followed behind him as they made their way towards the beginning of the bridge. Nick swore that he wasn't going to let anything happen to Luke, and he was going to keep his word. He told the rest of the group to wait at the entrance of the bridge while he crossed to the middle where Luke and Clem were standing. Once he got close enough, the strange man held his gun up, and he saw Clem and Luke turn around.

"Nick! No!" He heard Luke yelled, but he didn't know what he was talking about. It was too late anyway, because Nick had already fired, shooting the strange man in the neck, and sending him overboard the bridge. In his mind, he had done a good thing, protecting Luke, and the rest of the group as well.

He then began walking forward, "Did I hit him, where is he?" He asked, and Luke looked mad as hell. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"I told you not to shoot." Luke said sternly.

"What?" Nick questioned, very confused. "I was just trying to protect you. Who was that guy?" He asked again.

"Why didn't you wait for the signal?" Luke interrogated, and at that moment, Nick just wanted to run and hide somewhere because he knew he fucked up, and he knew that Luke was mad as hell for disobeying his orders. He didn't want to be yelled at by his lover, especially not in front of Clementine or the rest of the group for that matter. He felt like shit, and just wanted to go to sleep for a really long time.

"I thought you were in trouble! You were waiving your arms." God, he hated the way his voice sounded right now; so childlike and scared. What the hell was wrong with him? "What the fuck did I do wrong?" He questioned, angrily this time. So sick of fucking everything up. He hated when Luke was mad at him, but this time it felt different because he was only trying to protect him. He didn't think that he had done anything wrong, yet here he was, getting yelled at like crazy for protecting somebody. What the hell?

"He was going to help us!" Clementine jumped it.

"Damn it, Nick. I told you not to shoot!"

"How was I supposed to know? You gave me a clear shot!"

"That shot rang for miles, we gotta get off this bridge, let's go." Luke said, and the group made it across.


	14. He's Not Just My Friend

The whole group then finished crossing the bridge, and made it to the small shelter that rested there on the other side. "Who the fuck was that back there?" Rebecca asked, panting, and clutching her back in pain. She decided it would be best for her to sit down, and rest for a few moments so that the group could get this all settled out.

"I don't know." Luke answered. "Some guy."

"It looked like he had a gun on you!" Alvin pointed out.

Nick's eyes went wide, "That asshole drew on me! He was about to shoot!" He tried to defend himself. After all, he didn't want the whole group turning on his now. Sure, it was a brazen and rash action, but he couldn't help it. If somebody was going to shoot his friend, he was going to intervene in any way that he possible. "Look, like I said before, I was just trying to fucking protect you!" He yelled to Luke.

Clementine jumped in, "But he was going to help us." She said. "You didn't have to shoot."

"You know what?" Nick asked, "Fuck you, Luke! You've been on my case all fucking week!" He said the words harshly, and he didn't know if he really meant them or not. Things were falling apart right before his eyes, and he didn't want this good thing that he and Luke had to disappear already, right as soon as it started. And he didn't want Luke to be angry at him, he couldn't help it; he was pissed. Nick was known to be hot headed, and short tempered, Luke should have already known that. So why was everyone throwing him under the bus now? "I try to do one fucking good thing and I get shit for it!" He yelled angrily.

"And why do you think that is, Nick?" Luke retorted.

Nick's brow furrowed, "You want to go there?" He asked. "You really want to fucking go there?"

"What's he talking about?" Carlos asked.

"Nothing." Luke replied, and he felt so ashamed right now. Ashamed that he and Nick were even fighting in front of everyone in the group. He didn't mean to sound so harshly towards Nick, but he couldn't help it. What Nick did was wrong, but still, they could talk about it privately, and not but all of their business out there like that. He was being a shitty friend, and an even more shitty boyfriend. He'd have to make it up to him later, but if he knew anything about Nick, it was that once he was pissed off, he needed space to cool down. So he'd leave it alone for now, and worry about it later.

"Do you think he was with Carver?" Alvin asked.

"Doubt it." Carlos replied. "What happened to him anyway?" He asked.

"He fell." Clem answered.

"He fell off the damn bridge?" Alvin questioned incredulously.

Carlos shook his head, "It doesn't matter, we have to keep moving."

Rebecca whimpered, "I can't, I need a minute." She said as she grabbed her stomach.

"Fine." Carlos spat. "Luke, can I talk you to alone?" He asked.

Luke nodded, "Yeah, sure." He agreed and the two walked a few spaces away from the group so that they could be alone, and that the rest of the group couldn't hear them. Meanwhile, everyone else in the group took a seat on a large nearby log to rest for a few short moments before they had to start walking again. They would cherish these next few moments, because they might not get to rest again for a long while.

"We should check the building," Clementine spoke up. "The man said he had food and supplies."

"Good, 'cause Bec needs food." Alvin commented, and the two went to look inside the building together. The rest of the group were thankful that there was food and supplies in the small shelter. Hopefully there would be enough of something to get them the rest of the way up the mountain. God knows that they needed it more than anything, and it didn't help that morale was low either.

While they were looking for food, Luke and Carlos continued their talk. "What's up?" Luke asked.

"I'm worried about Nick." Carlos spoke simply. But Luke was pretty sure that everyone was worried about Nick, just because of the recent situations and outcomes that he had endured. After losing his mother, and then Pete, plus his emotional roller coaster ride with Luke, things only continued to get worse.

"Aren't we all?" Luke retorted. "I know what I said earlier was pretty harsh, but still, can you blame him? Can you really blame him for the way he's been acting? Look at everything that's happened." Luke asked, looking over at Nick who happened to be sitting up against the wall, and sulking. He was probably lost in his thoughts like always, but he just looked so broken. Luke hated seeing him like that, he hated that his friend was always so insecure and self conscious.

Carlos scoffed, "Don't be like that Luke, I know he's your friend and all-"

"He's not just my friend." Luke cut him off, "We're in love."

"That doesn't justify his actions!" Carlos yelled, causing the whole group to look over the two who were conversing.

Luke shrugged, "So what? He's got a trigger finger, everybody makes mistakes Carlos. Just lay off of him for awhile, okay?"

"You better keep him under control." Carlos warned. "He's putting himself and everyone in the group in danger, and I can't let that happen." He explained. Luke didn't say another word though, he wasn't going to make this any worse than they were. He'd definitely have to talk to Luke later, and explain all of this. And they definitely needed to get their shit together before something big happened.


	15. For The Sake Of The Group

Nick knew that Carlos and Luke were talking about him; in a sense, he could even feel his ears burning. So, he did the best thing that he could think of to do at the moment, and he glared at them. There was a deep scowl etched in his face. He was pissed off that his boyfriend, or whatever the hell they were, wouldn't defend him. Whatever, they could talk all they wanted to talk, he didn't care. In truth, he really did care, but he just wanted to tell himself he didn't so it would make him feel better. In his mind, he was making up tons of what if scenarios. What the hell were they talking about? He damn sure couldn't hear them, and he definitely could not read lips, so he was screwed.

Clementine approached him after finding some food for Rebecca, "You know, your face will be stuck like that if you look like that all the time." She pointed out.

Nick glared at her with his icy blue eyes, "No it won't."

"Yes, it will." She retorted.

Nick sighed, "You know what, I don't have time for this shit, kid. Just leave me the hell alone."

"Sorry." Clementine mumbled, "I was just trying to make you feel better."

"Yeah, well, thanks for having my back over there." Nick replied, a sarcastic tone on his tongue. His eyes then wandered back over to Carlos and Luke, "I wonder what the hell they're talking about..." He trailed off, mostly to himself. "It's fucking annoying, I'm a grown ass man." He kicked the ground, "They need to stop treating me like a child." That was how he truly felt, and he didn't need a damn babysitter. He was nearly 30 years old now. And sure, he could be irresponsible and rash sometimes, but what person wasn't? He was only human.

"Then stop acting like one." Clem retaliated.

"Hmph." He grumbled. "You're one to talk."

"Don't be angry at me!" Clementine raised her voice a little, "I didn't do anything to you."

"Of course you didn't..." He mumbled. Nick shrugged his shoulders, "Shit, maybe I am losing it. I can't even tell any fucking more." Another sigh escaped his lips, "You know what, I'm gonna go talk to them." He said, referring to Carlos and Luke. He knew that that probably wasn't the best idea, but hell, what did he have to lose? It's not like he could get in anymore trouble than he already was in. He just really hoped that Luke wasn't angry with him for anything. If he was, then he wouldn't know what to do with himself. Luke was his rock, Luke had always been the strong one, and he always would be.

Carlos was talking when he approached them, "Look all I'm saying is-" He stopped once Nick was in ear shot.

"Hey man, you alright?" Luke asked, which surprised the hell out of Nick. He didn't sound mad at all, which was a shock, because they were just screaming at each other no less than ten minutes ago. Maybe he had changed his mind about the situation; about what had happened. Maybe Carlos made him change his way of thinking.

Nick scoffed, "Yeah, I'm peachy." It had meant it to come off as sarcastic, but it sounded much worse. "Just wondering what the hell you two are talking about..." He pondered aloud.

"Carlos was worried about you." Luke answered, which was somewhat truthful.

The spanish man nodded, "Yes, and the safety of the group."

"Don't worry," Nick replied, "It won't happen again."

"I would hope not." Carlos said sternly. "Killing someone is not something I would take lightly." He added, raising a thick eyebrow.

And that really got Nick's blood boiling, "And you think I don't fucking know that? Jesus Christ, Carlos!" He nearly yelled, "I'm not a murderer!"

Luke stepped in, "Hey, let's just calm down. Arguing ain't gonna solve anything."

"Luke is right." Carlos replied.

"No shit." Nick commented.

"Both of you just settle down." Luke added, "For the sake of the group, let's just act normal, and put all of this behind us. Do you think you can do that?" He asked, and both of the other men agreed with a nod, "Good." Luke finished, "Now let's get going." They gathered up the group once more, after moments of resting, and began the rest of their journey up the path of the mountain. They were headed towards a ski lodge that Clementine had spotted earlier. It was big enough for everyone, and would allow them protection from Carver and the walkers that remained outside. It was still such a long walk though.

However, during the walk, Nick had managed to get Luke just far enough away from the group so they could converse without anyone else hearing. "Hey," Nick started, "Are you mad at me?" It was a good question, because when they talked earlier, Luke had acted as though nothing had happened between them; like the argument had ceased to exist.

Luke chuckled, "No. Why in the hell would I be mad at you? If anything you should be mad at me."

"Well, I'm sorry for all that stuff I said earlier..." Nick apologized. "It was just a heat of the moment thing, and you know how I can be..." He trailed off.

"I'm sorry too." Luke said. "I should have defended you the first chance I got."

"It's fine." Nick waived it off. "As long as things are still good with... you know... us." He could feel the blush creeping to his cheeks.

Luke laughed again, "Don't worry Nick, I still love ya." He answered, and that was a good enough response for Nick.

"That's good." Nick smiled, "I uh, love you too."

"I know." Luke answered back, a grin written on his face. "Let's just try to keep the fighting to a minimum." He coaxed.

Nick agreed, "That's alright with me."


	16. They're Cool

They walked for what seemed like an eternity, until finally they reached the top of the mountain, where the ski lodge was located. Carlos and Nick perched at the edge of the ski lodge, not wanting to make any sudden moves yet. "Well?" Rebecca questioned as she approached them. She was out of breath, and her back was killing her.

"We have to be careful." Carlos warned.

Rebecca stood up and placed her hands on her hips, "Careful?" She questioned. "We've been on the road for five days, my back is done being careful." She sassed right back to them. It was probably the pregnancy talking, but she did have a point. The group was beyond exhausted, they just hoped that this ski lodge could be their safe haven.

"It doesn't look like anyone's home." Alvin pointed out as he walked up onto the deck and observed the boarded up windows and such. The place looked pretty much deserted if he was being honest with himself, and that was a very, very good thing. That meant that the group could stay here with little to no problems. They could escape Carver, and still be free from the wrath of the walkers. "The doors are nailed down tight though..." The big man trailed off once more as he tried to pry the wood off the door. The rest of the group cautiously made their way up onto the deck as well, yielding guns just in case. "I'll check around front." He added.

"I'll go with you." Carlos said and followed behind the big man.

"What do you think about this place?" Luke asked as he approached Nick.

Nick shrugged, "Seems safe enough if we can get inside." But just as they thought the coast was clear, a bunch of people came running outside with guns, looking ready to shoot. "What the fuck?" Nick questioned. Who the hell were all these people? But he knew better, they probably stayed here, this was probably their home, and here they were intruding and whatnot.

"Back the fuck up!" A man yelled.

"We ain't trying to hurt anyone!" Luke defended as he looked over the strangers. There were two men and a girl, she looked foreign if he had to guess. "Just stay calm." He continued, putting his hands up, not trying to get shot.

The foreign woman spoke, "Who are you? Are you trying to rob us?"

Rebecca scoffed, "Excuse me honey, but do I look like a fucking thief?" She retorted.

"Everyone calm down." A balding man said.

"Hey man, you calm down." Alvin retorted. "We ain't here to rob nobody, just put the gun down!"

"Fuck that!" A voice yelled. Meanwhile, Clementine was making her way to the front of the group to see what was going on. "Just do what I fucking say, and nobody gets hurt, okay?" The voice yelled again, and Clem swore that she had heard it before, but she couldn't really put a name to the voice, that is, until she made it to the front of the group, and saw Kenny standing there staring at her with wide eyes.

"Kenny!" Clementine yelled.

"You know that guy?" Nick asked.

"Clementine..." Kenny trailed off, and Clem flung herself in his arms.

"I'll take that as a yes." The balding man said with a smile.

"These people with you?" Kenny asked, looking at Clem and she nodded. "We can talk inside." Kenny said as he stood up, talking to the rest of the group who were at a loss for words at what was happening in front of them.

"Great, I just started dinner." The bald man said.

Carlos looked hesitant, "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Yeah, we can be on our way..." Luke trailed off.

"It's gonna storm soon, please, come in. It would be our pleasure." The man replied. And with that, everyone followed behind Kenny and Clementine and made their way inside the big ski lodge. "Kenny and Sarita have been staying with us for several weeks." The man continued once they stepped inside. "Used to be a ski lodge obviously, so we have lots of food." He added, "And believe it or not, we still get some power from that wind turbine out front. We tend to keep most of the lights off at night so we don't draw attention to ourselves... But we couldn't resist when we found all of this stuff in storage." He trailed off. Kenny made a funny face, and Clem chuckled. "What's funny?" He asked as he turned around to look at the two.

"Oh, nothing Walt." Kenny replied. "Walter here is one smart son of a bitch, makes a mean can of beans too."

"Well, why don't you two catch up while I get dinner started." Walter said as the rest of the group made their way inside. "Please, make yourselves at home, you can leave your things right there." He gestured to a bench by the door.

"The hell we will." Rebecca retorted.

"Yeah, I'm holdin' on to my rifle, thanks." Nick replied.

"You're our guests here, there's no need to worry." Walter insisted.

Nick scoffed, "Tell him to put his gun down then." He said, gesturing to Kenny.

"Kenny?" Walter asked.

"Will you vouch for these people, Clem?" He questioned. She wasn't sure though, with everything that had happened on the bridge, she wasn't sure if Nick should even have a gun right now. He had shot and killed someone, and that made him dangerous, and she still had a bad feeling about that whole situation. "If you tell me they're good, then we're good." Kenny trailed off.

"Us?" Nick inquired, "You were the one waving a gun around."

"Cool it man..." Luke interrupted, nudging him in the side.

"Look dad!" Sarah exclaimed, "A Christmas tree!" She yelled.

"Not now Sarah." Carlos chastised.

"Isn't it great?" Sarita asked, "We found it all in storage."

"It's amazing!" She almost yelled.

Clementine hesitated before answering, "They're cool." So Kenny walked over and placed his gun on the ground. The rest of the group followed suit, and placed their items down as well. Clementine knew that they were going to have to learn to trust one another if they were going to stay here to hide from Carver.

"Good," Sarita smiled, "If you'll all follow me I'll show you where you'll be sleeping." She said and walked upstairs.


	17. Better Than Sleeping On The Damn Ground

The group followed Sarita upstairs, while Clementine and Kenny found a place to sit down and catch up. Clem had to admit, this place was pretty damn impressive for the apocalypse, and suddenly, a fireplace caught her eye. She hadn't seen one of those things in forever! That's where she and Kenny had chosen to sit. "Still wearing this dirty old thing, huh?" Kenny asked playfully, nudging her favorite hat. "You know, I half expected Lee to walk up beside you. You guys were like two peas in a pod." He added, then noticed Clementine's glum look. "Oh shit! I didn't mean too... It's just hard not to think about it after everything that's happened." He added quickly.

Clem frowned, "He saved me though."

"I knew he would!" Kenny exclaimed. "That guy had a fire in him, sure as shit. He was one hell of a guy..." He trailed off.

"Yeah." Clementine agreed, "He was."

Kenny sighed, and changed the subject, "So, where'd you end up?" He asked.

"I was with Christa and Omid." Clem answered, "Then Omid, well... And then Christa and I got separated." She explained.

"Sounds like it ain't been easy for you." Kenny empathized. "I'm sorry darling, I wish I could have found you sooner. But everything's gonna be fine now."

"Christa said you were dead."

Kenny laughed, it was a foreign sound to Clementine's ears. "I am! This is all a bad dream." He chuckled, and Clem grimaced in discomfort. "Sorry, bad joke." He apologized. "For some reason I tried to save the fucking shitbird Ben, then it turned into a damn cluster. I couldn't help the kid, but I got out. Long story short, I got lucky, real lucky. After that, I spent a long time alone, and then I met Sarita..." He trailed off. "But gosh, it's great to have you back!" Clem couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something different about Kenny.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Sarita was still showing everyone around. It was a ski lodge, so obviously there were a lot of beds, which meant everyone would have somewhere to sleep, and everyone would have their own room. "There are plenty of rooms so you can decide amongst yourself who sleeps where." She explained. "The beds aren't really that comfortable, but it's all we've got." She added with a shrug. "But at least everyone will have their privacy and whatnot with all the rooms."

"Hell," Luke chuckled, "It's gotta be better than sleeping on the damn ground."

"That's for sure." Alvin commented.

Sarita laughed lightly, "Okay, well, I'll let everyone get settled in. Come downstairs when you're finished." She said as she left.

"Luke and I will share a room." Nick spoke up, clearing the silence. He was glad that they would have their own room, so he and Luke could have some alone time and some privacy with one another. "There's no sense in us taking up a whole other room when we don't mind sharing." He added quickly, as if to justify what he just said. He didn't know if the group knew about him and Luke yet, but he didn't want to be the one to just blurt it out and whatnot. The atmosphere quickly turned awkward, and he knew he probably shouldn't have said anything.

"Yeah." Luke agreed.

"Okay." Carlos nodded. And it was obvious that he and Sarah would share a room, and Rebecca and Alvin would share a room. So there was really no need to discuss those matters. "I guess we should head back downstairs then." He said, as he looked over the group.

Rebecca shook her head, "I think I'm just going to stay up here a lie down for a bit." She said. "All that walking really did me in." Alvin said that he was going to stay with her, and with that, the rest of the group proceeded back downstairs to see what they could do to help out Kenny, Sarita, and Walter.

Sarita was now talking to Kenny, "You two catching up?" She asked with a smile as she patted Kenny on the shoulder.

"Clem, this is my girl, Sarita. Ain't she beautiful?" He asked, looking up at the foreign woman.

"Nice to meet you Clementine." Sarita smiled.

Kenny then turned around, "Hey Walt, where's Matthew? He still out there rooting around?" He asked.

Walter chuckled, "Of course he is." He said, "Well, I guess I'll start dinner." A part of Clem wanted to question who Matthew was, but she decided against it.

That's when the rest of the group came bounding down the stairs, "Carlos, right?" Sarita asked as she approached them. "Mind if I steal your daughter for a secret mission?" She asked, looking over at Sarah, who hurried and looked at her father for approval.

"Stay in sight, sweetie." He warned, and walked back upstairs to talk to Alvin and Rebecca for a moment.

"Can we do anything to help?" Luke asked, with Nick trailing behind him.

Kenny stood up, "Could use a hand outside. We got a lot of supplies to bring in before that storm hits."

"Sure." Luke nodded, and he and Nick headed outside.

"Clem, why don't you help Walt with dinner?" Kenny asked the little girl. She agreed, and went over to the balding man who was in the kitchen, while Kenny went outside to help Luke and Nick bring in some supplies. Outside, the wind was picking up, and Nick and Luke were loading up on boxes to bring inside before it started to storm any worse than it already was. Kenny wasn't out there yet, so Nick took this as the perfect time to ask Luke about something that was bothering him.

"Hey." Nick said, catching Luke's attention.

"Yeah?" Luke asked.

"Why is Carlos acting weird?" Nick questioned as he continued to stack boxes. He seemed so nonchalant when Nick said the thing about sharing a bed with Luke. "He's like not acting suspicious of us at all, which you think he would..." Nick pointed out.

"Carlos knows." Luke answered, which caught Nick off guard.

"What?" He almost yelled.

"I told him, back at the bridge." Luke said. "And he probably told everyone else." And that really caught Nick off guard, because he didn't know that Luke didn't want their relationship to be a secret. "I'm glad it's not a secret anymore though," Luke trailed off, practically reading Nick's mind. "Now we don't have to hide our feelings for each other when we're around them."


	18. And You're Okay With It?

To say Nick was surprised was an understatement. In fact, he was really shocked that none of the group members had said anything, or made a big deal about it. Maybe it was the fact that it was the zombie apocalypse, and they just didn't care about what happened anymore. Or maybe it was the fact that they didn't care about two people in love. Nick had a suspicion that the cabin group knew about his romantic feelings for Luke for a long time, maybe even before he knew about them. Hell, none of that even mattered anymore. All that did matter was that he and Luke were in a fucking open relationship, and nobody gave a shit, or said it was wrong. Relief, and happiness washed over Nick at the same time. "That's fucking awesome." He said, as they continued to gather supplies.

"I know." Luke smiled.

"And you're okay with it?" Nick asked, because he knew that Luke was always the one afraid to come out with their relationship back when they were teenagers. But maybe Luke had changed, maybe he was ready to let his emotions take charge of him, instead of keeping everything bottled in. He was ready to fall in love, and he was ready to be with Nick. The man was glad that he had changed for the better.

Luke shrugged, "The world is ending, who the hell cares what other people think." He said, grinning.

Nick smiled, "I love you, Luke."

"And I love you, asshole." He laughed.

Kenny stepped outside, "Good job, you two. It'll be nice having some extra hands around here for a while." He said, as he grabbed a few boxes and headed back inside. Nick was practically bursting inside still, though. He still couldn't believe that he and Luke were going to be together, and it was going to be okay. Why couldn't this have happened to them while they were younger though? When the world was still in pieces and not falling apart. He tried not to question it, and just focus on now, as they headed back inside the ski lodge with their boxes of supplies.

"Hey everyone, dinner is served. Come on, let's eat." Walter said, and everyone took that as their cue to sit down at one of the tables. There were two tables, so naturally, the cabin group sat at one, and the ski lodge group sat at the other. Clementine decided to sit with Kenny, since she hadn't seen him in a while. After that, everyone began to eat. It was nice to finally have another hot meal in their bellies after traveling for five days.

Luke looked up at Nick while eating, "Are you feeling okay?"

Nick nodded, "I just wish I hadn't pulled that trigger."

"Just try to forget about it..." Luke trailed off.

"It's hard." Nick replied, closing his eyes. He pictured the man falling off the bridge, and cringed at himself. What the hell was wrong with him?

Luke shrugged, "Ain't nothing you can do about it now man."

"I know..." Nick sighed, "I just wish it was different."

Luke grabbed his hand from across the table, and squeezed it for reassurance. "Everything's going to be okay, you have me." He smiled halfheartedly. He didn't know if those comforting words were going to be enough to calm Nick down. For now, it seemed to work, but how would he be feeling tomorrow, or the day after that? Luke just wanted happy Nick back, and not Nick who worried and sulked about everything. But Luke knew, that that was just how Nick worked, it was in his nature to be like that; stay intact with his emotions and whatnot.

Back at the other table, Kenny was striking up a conversation with Clem. "We were just talking... So, Clem, what's the deal with what's his name? Luke? He in charge over there? You trust him?" Kenny asked.

"Kenny please." Sarita insisted.

"Sarita, we don't know these folks." Kenny replied.

"They seem nice." Sarita shrugged.

"Yeah, well gators seem nice too until they bite your damn arm off." He retorted.

"Kenny!" Sarita scolded.

"I trust him." Clementine answered. "He saved my life."

Kenny nodded, "That guy," He nodded his head towards Alvin, "Big Al, he said you guys were on the run."

"Some people are after them." Clementine confirmed, "But I think we're safe here." She added with a shrug, hoping that Carver had lost them, or stopped their search for the cabin group. After all, why did he want them to come back so bad anyway? He should just let them go. Walter then stood up, because he was finished eating, and so did Sarita. That's when Luke and Nick came over and took their places, as they sat down next to Kenny and Clementine.

"Hey there." Kenny greeted.

"Hey." Luke replied.

"Hope you like the food." Kenny said, making small talk.

Luke shrugged, "Oh, it's great, thank you."

"Peaches and beans, great for nutrition, not too great on the way out though." Kenny laughed. "So it's Luke... And Nick. Luke and Nick, you guys sure do look like a match." Kenny added as he looked the two over. Did he have some premonition of their relationship? Luke nearly dropped his spoon when he said that. Damn, were he and Nick that readable? Did their feelings show that much.

"I said the same thing." Clementine agreed.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Nick asked angrily.

"Nothing, nothing." Kenny defended. "But just to let you know, we're all okay with that here. Hell, Walt's married to another man." He trailed off, and Clementine knew that that man had to have been Matthew. Luke and Nick really didn't want to confirm their relationship to a stranger to them, so the subject of the matter was dropped.


	19. Sure As Shit

"So what was your plan here?" Luke asked, "Hold out for the winter?" He changed the subject quickly.

"Actually, we were thinking of moving on, somewhere up north." Kenny replied. "You ever heard of a place called Wellington?" He questioned as he looked around at the two men.

"Wellington?" Luke asked, "What the hell is that?"

"A place." Kenny retorted.

"What kind of place?" Luke asked once more.

"A good one, Einstein."

"Christa and I were going there!" Clem exclaimed.

"Supposed to be a big place up near Michigan." Kenny explained.

Nick's eyes widened, "Michigan?" He questioned.

"Yeah, Michigan." Kenny said, "You got a hearing problem kid? Think about it, fresh water, lots of land, and cold ass winters so the walkers get slow." The man explained.

"Sounds like bullshit." Nick shrugged.

Kenny eyed him in anger, "Listen vanilla ice! I don't know what your deal is, but you're more than welcome to take off in the morning!"

"That'd be just fine by me." Nick retorted, just as angry.

"What's the deal with these guys, Clem?" Kenny asked.

Nick scoffed, "Hey, fuck you buddy."

"Nick, calm down." Luke said, looking over at his lover. But it was to no avail, it was obvious the Nick and Kenny hadn't liked each other from the very beginning. They didn't know what it was, it just happened. "Come on, stop fighting." He said, looking into Nick's deep blue eyes. "It's fine, we're not staying..." He trailed off, even though this would have been a perfect place for them to take refuge.

"She's staying." Kenny said, pointing at Clementine.

"Excuse me?" Luke asked.

"You heard me." Kenny retorted.

"Please, stop fighting." Clem begged. "We can all just stay here."

Walter walked up to stand behind Clementine, "Gentlemen, please, there's no need for this." He spoke. "Now look, we've all had a long day, please eat." He said and walked away.

"Pass me that can, Duck." Kenny said, and Clem's eyes widened in shock, and so did Kenny's once he realized what he had said.

"Duck, who's Duck?" Luke asked.

"Duck was his son..." Clem trailed off in a whisper.

"Shit..." Luke muttered to himself. "Look man, we're sorry, we didn't know."

"Yeah." Nick added quickly. "I'm sorry too." Kenny's eyes only closed in sadness, and no doubt he was thinking about his son and his wife, Katjaa. Clem knew that was why he was acting different, it was because he was trying to suppress all those memories and whatnot from where Duck had been bitten, and Katjaa had killed herself. She wanted to slap Luke and Nick for acting so childish.

"Clementine, can you help me outside for a moment?" Walter asked, and Clem got up to go help him. After dinner, everyone had a full stomach, and was ready for bed. The cabin group was glad they had somewhere warm and safe to sleep for the night. So everyone cleaned up their bowls, and headed upstairs to their rooms. Matthew still hadn't returned yet, but maybe he'd be back in the morning. Clem still had a bad feeling about it. "I'm sure he's just camping out somewhere because of the storm." Walter insisted. Everyone then went to their rooms to get some rest.

"Hell of a day, huh?" Nick asked once he shut the door to the room that he shared with Luke. The other man was already settled in bed, and waiting for his lover. "I hope Kenny will still let us stay here after everything I said." He added as he walked to the bed. He pulled off his boots he had on, as well as his hat, and climbed into the bed beside Luke.

"I think Clementine will be able to convince him." Luke replied. "As long as we don't have Carver on our asses, we'll be okay."

"Yeah." Nick agreed. It was quiet between the two men for a moment, the only sounds were their breathing, and the beating of their hearts. Luke noticed that Nick's heartbeat was faster than usual as he laid his head on his chest. "Hey Luke?" Nick asked softly, and Luke looked up at him through his eye lashes as if to answer him. "Can I kiss you?" Nick asked permission, and he could feel heat rising to his cheeks the moment those words left his mouth.

Luke chuckled, "You don't have to ask for my permission." He said as he sat up. But he could understand why Nick would. This was still all very new to them, so Luke took this as his chance, and he pressed his lips to Nick's feverishly. And this kiss, was unlike any other kiss that the two men had shared before. There was so much passion underneath it all, and Nick could tell that Luke really did love him. And he could also feel Luke's hands roaming his body, and he knew that it would lead to somewhere eventually.

Nick sighed and pulled away, "Luke, we can't." He managed to get out. Although he damn sure wanted to, he knew that they shouldn't.

"Why not?"

"What if someone hears?" Nick asked, blushing madly. He couldn't believe how nervous he was. Hell, it wasn't like this was the first time he and Luke were doing anything together. They had done the lover's dance many times before in the past, what was so different now? But Nick knew that it was because for the first time, their feelings were mutual, and they were both in love with each other.

"We'll be quiet." Luke tried to convince. "Come on Nick, let me show you how much I love you." He added with a small smile. Of course, Luke would say something like that, because he was always the dominant one. "Please?" He begged.

Nick sighed, "Are you sure about this?" He asked, looking into Luke's brown eyes.

Luke nodded, "Sure as shit." He replied, and pressed his lips to Nick's once more.


	20. I'm Nervous, Nick

To say Nick was nervous, was the understatement of the century. His palms were so damn sweaty, and his face was so damn red... He felt as if though he was going to spontaneously combust at any given moment, and all Luke had done was kissed him again. But their lips reconnected with each other so well, and the two men couldn't resist. Their lips against each other's just felt too damn good. Nick didn't want to let go, but of course, he had to breathe, so he separated from his lover completely out of breath. "Damn..." Nick trailed off, looking into Luke's brown eyes, that were now clouded with lust.

"What?" Luke mumbled against the other man's skin.

Nick chuckled, "Nothing." He managed to get out before Luke pressed their lips together once more. These kisses, were anything but chaste or gentle. These kisses were sloppy, and wet, and so filled with lust, that Nick just couldn't get enough of them. Hell, he could even feel their tongues fighting for dominance over and over again until Luke won for the umpteenth time. They had denied the sexual chemistry between them for too long, and now it was time for all this pent up frustration to be let out. And it seemed as though they just couldn't get enough of each other as Luke laid on top of his lover, and practically made out with him.

Luke pulled away once more, "Can I take your shirt off?" He asked, and Nick could feel his fingers brushing up against the bottom of his abdomen as he played with the hem of his shirt. That feeling alone made goose bumps crawl up and down his skin, and he gulped, mostly from nervousness. Seeing another man shirtless was usually not a big deal, but that was not the case in this situation. It had been forever since Nick and Luke had seen each other naked, and that was when they were teenagers. Their bodies had long gone and matured so much after that. Nick knew that he shouldn't be nervous, but he couldn't help it. He loved this man with every fiber in his body, and he wanted this to be good.

Nick couldn't help but to smirk, "You don't have to ask for my permission." He mimicked Luke's words from earlier in the night.

Luke chuckled, "Okay asshole." From there, he lifted Nick's shirt and pulled it over his head, and then reached down and pulled his own shirt off. The heat emanating from their bodies was enough to make both men flush, and the skin against skin feeling was enough to drive them crazy. Nick had missed this feeling so much. Their lips connected once more, and Luke took his time in placing kisses on Nick's neck. He knew that he liked that more than anything. So Nick closed his eyes, and savored the feeling of his lover's lips on his neck for as long as he could while he knotted his fingers in the hair that was at the nape of Luke's neck. "You enjoying this?" Luke asked, and Nick could feel the brown haired male smirk against his skin.

"Yeah." Nick answered simply.

"Good." Luke smiled, and he used this time to kiss lower and lower down Nick's body, placing love bites anywhere he touched. From his masculine chest, down to his navel, and even swirling his tongue around Nick's belly button. The dark haired man groaned with pleasure, little sighs escaping his lips ever so often. Luke was so happy he could do this for Nick, after everything that his boyfriend had done for him over the years, this was the only thing he could think of to pay him back. And that's when Nick felt Luke's fingers at the button of his camouflage pants. They were shaky, from nervousness surely, and warm and fragile at the same time.

Nick sat up, "Luke, wait."

Luke looked up at the other man, searching for his eyes in the darkness, "What is it?" He asked.

Nick could feel his cheeks burning, he was thankful for the darkness because he knew they were beat red, "Let me do you first..." He trailed off quietly. He didn't know why those words came from his mouth, but they did, and he really did mean them. Luke always took care of Nick first, but Nick wanted to take care of him first this time. He wanted to show Luke how much he loved him, he wanted to give him that pleasure that he always gave him, and he wanted him to enjoy it. Luke was always the dominant one, and Nick wanted to change that.

"You don't have to." Luke replied. "I wanted this to be about you." He admitted, blushing slightly.

"Please?" Nick asked. "I want to."

Luke hesitated before he answered, "Okay." Nick grinned, and kissed Luke once more. After that, he removed Luke's trousers, leaving him only in his boxer shorts. Nick couldn't pull his eyes away from the bulge that was in between Luke's legs. With a shaky exhale, Luke looked down at Nick, "I'm nervous, Nick." He admitted.

All of Nick's nerves, however, were long gone, "Don't be." He whispered huskily, which made Luke's skin crawl. "Just relax." Normally, it would be Luke saying that, but this time, the roles were reversed. Nick could feel how tense Luke was, and that had to change quickly. Gently, he ran his fingers over Luke's thighs, working his way up. He could hear Luke take in a sharp breath once his hands reached the waistband of his boxers. Quickly, yet smoothly, they were off in one swift motion, and Luke was exposed to his lover. "I love you Luke." Nick said, and kissed him for the umpteenth time that night.

"I love you too Nick." Luke replied, and the two made love as a couple this time.


	21. The Right Thing To Do

When morning came, the two men were entangled in the bed sheets, and in each other's arms as well. The sunlight from the small window, leaked in, causing Nick to squint when he finally woke up. Memories from last night filtered through his head, and he smiled to himself. Last night was practically the best night of his life, and he knew that Luke probably felt the same. He sighed, and looked down at Luke who was still fast asleep. Judging by the sunlight, it was probably already midmorning, and everyone else in the ski lodge was probably already awake. In fact, he could even hear voices chattering away downstairs.

"Luke..." Nick whispered, gently shaking the other man. "Luke, wake up." He said once more.

"Hm?" Luke asked, groggily, opening his eyes slowly.

"We slept in." Nick explained, gesturing to window.

"Shit." Luke muttered to himself as he tried to sit up. He then a few moments to stretch, and get the sleep out of his eyes. "Did you sleep good?" He asked, looking over at Nick with sleepy eyes. He wanted to stay in this bed with Nick for as long as he could. It felt like their own personal heaven of some sort, and they didn't want this moment to end for anything in the world.

"Yeah." Nick nodded, "It was nice to actually sleep in a bed again."

"Agreed." Luke added.

"We should probably get downstairs." Nick pointed out.

"Yeah." Luke said, and the two men got out of bed and got dressed in their dirty clothes from yesterday. Once they made sure the room was half decent, both of them headed downstairs to greet the others. When they got downstairs, they saw everyone sitting at the tables, eating more peaches and beans for breakfast. "Morning." Luke greeted once he and Nick approached the tables.

Sarita smiled at them, "Good morning you two."

"Morning." Nick greeted.

"Would you like some breakfast?" She asked, gesturing to the food on the table.

"Sure." Luke accepted, and he and Nick sat down at the table and began eating. Everyone joined in some small talk while they ate, and it seemed that everyone enjoyed staying there so far. Luke just hoped that after everything that went down with Kenny the day before was forgotten. Because if Kenny didn't like them, then there was no way in hell that he was going to let them stay here. And there was no sign of Carver so far, so that was a very good thing. Maybe they lost him in the mountains?

Walter then approached the two men, "So Kenny and I were talking," He started.

"About?" Nick asked, looking up at the balding man.

"We've decided that you and your friends can stay here for as long as you need." Walter informed. "Kenny has put his differences aside, and he said he doesn't mind." He added.

"Well, that's great." Luke said. "Thank you very much, have you told the others?" He asked.

"Yes, I have." Walter said.

After breakfast, the large group decided to just relax. The ski lodge had books, and board games, and even a couple of CDs for the boom box that was there. Regardless, everyone had something to do, and they were happy for the moment. Nick and Luke were in their own little conversation, when Clementine approached them. "I need to talk to you both." She spoke, and there was a certain urgency in her voice for her being just a little girl. "It's important." She added, looking both of them in the eyes.

"What is it?" Nick asked.

"Follow me." Clementine said, and led them into the kitchen where they could talk in privacy. She didn't want anyone to hear what she was about to say, because it was a dire situation. She had pieced some things together, and had made a revelation. "That guy on the bridge was Walter's friend. It was Matthew." She said, in a low whisper.

"How do you know?" Luke asked. "That guy could have been anybody."

Clementine pulled out a small picture that she had found, "That's him, and he still isn't back yet because Nick killed him." She explained. "And everyone is still asking about him..." She trailed off once more, worried that what Nick had done had jeopardized their chances of being able to stay there with the ski lodge group. She didn't want them to be kicked out, because they were safe here.

"Shit." Nick managed to get out. He knew he had fucked up for sure now. "Oh fuck, oh fuck..." He trailed off.

"Hey Nick, come on, don't blow it." Luke said.

"Blow it?" Nick asked incredulously. "It's over man, he'll fucking find out."

"Nobody knows yet." Clem said, "But I think you should tell him." She said to Nick.

"Seriously?" Nick questioned. "You really think so?"

"It's the right thing to do." Clementine replied.

Luke jumped in, "It's right to get Nick killed? Because that's what's going to happen."

"No." Nick shook his head, "I should tell, then I can stop feeling bad about it."

"You're really going to do it?" Luke asked. "If something happens to you-"

"Nothing's going to happen." Nick said.

"How do you know?" Luke retorted.

"I just know, okay?" Nick answered, "Walter's not that kind of guy. I'll go talk to him now." He said, and went to go find Walter. The man was sitting by the fireplace, reading a thick book that Nick had never heard of before. "Hey Walter?" Nick asked, already nervous as hell. "Can I talk to you for a few minutes?" He asked, his voice already shaking. He looked back at Luke for reassurance.

"Sure, Nick." Walter stood up, and he and Nick walked outside for a few moments.

"Um," Nick struggled with his words, "Well, you're probably wondering where Matthew is..."


	22. Stronger Than Ever

**Author's Note: Last chapter! See you guys at the bottom!**

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><p>"I'm really worried about him." Walter spoke, causing Nick's heart to skip a beat.<p>

"It was me." Nick confessed, starting off.

"Excuse me?" Walter asked, arching an eyebrow, looking in Nick's blue eyes.

"I killed him." He stated bluntly.

Walter's eyes widened, "Matthew's dead!?" A broken sob made its way out of his mouth. "Oh my god... Oh my god..." He kept repeating as tears left his eyes. Nick decided to give him a moment before he continued. He had killed a man's significant other, of course he was going to be upset. The person he loved the most had been ripped out of his life forever. "How could you?" Walter asked finally, once his sobs had escaped him. "How could you do that to him?"

"I'm sorry." Nick knew that an apology wouldn't compensate for his actions, but it was better than nothing, right?

Walter's gaze softened, "I don't feel good..." He trailed off.

"I understand." Nick replied. "And you probably hate my fucking guts right now."

"Are you a good man?" Walter asked, catching Nick a little off guard. "Or are you just like everyone else?"

Nick hesitated before he answered, "I think I'm a good man." He didn't know what else to say, and he didn't know what Walter meant by that question. It was so hard to answer, and Nick's heart was beating so fast right now. He was nervous, and his palms were sweaty. Maybe Luke was right; maybe Walter was going to kill him. Was telling the truth a death wish?

Walter sighed, "Matthew, he was always going out alone... I told him something like this would happen. But he wouldn't listen, no, Matt always knew best." He rambled.

"I'm sorry." Nick said again.

"Just tell me what happened." Walter begged, "Tell me what you did."

"I thought he was going to hurt my friends, so I shot... It happened so fast, and I didn't know if I hit him or not, but I did... And I didn't mean to." Nick rambled, getting more nervous by the second as Walter stepped closer and closer to him. "If I could take it back, I would, but life doesn't work that way... I know you're pissed, but I really didn't mean to shoot him!" He finished, and started taking big breaths to calm down.

Walter's sobs got caught in his throat again, "Do you have any idea what you've done to me?" He spoke, voice breaking.

"I didn't mean to, and I'm so, so sorry." Nick apologized once more, but he couldn't think of anything else to do.

"I'm not going to forgive you." Walter spoke solemnly, "But I'm not going to forget either."

"I don't expect you to do that." Nick replied. "If you need anything, just, let me know okay?" He asked, "Anything I can do to make this less difficult?"

"Just... Leave me alone for now." Walter answered, and turned his back to Nick. He stared up at the sky, and Nick obliged to his request and went back inside the ski lodge. He was so glad that Walter had spared his life, because for a moment, he honestly thought he was going to die. And he didn't want to die anymore, not now, just when his life was starting to get better. He didn't want that at all, he had to stay here as long as he could for Luke's sake.

"How'd it go?" Luke asked once Nick returned.

"He hates me, but he didn't kill me." Nick replied.

"Well, you did the right thing." Luke said, smiling slightly. "I'm glad you did that."

Nick sighed, "In a way, me too." He nodded.

For the next couple of days, the group had made a unanimous decision to stay at the ski lodge after Walter had offered them to. After all, there was safety in numbers, and they weren't just going to give up a safe place with electricity and food. It was as though they had found their safe haven for the moment. And for the time being, Carver wasn't in the picture anymore. The group didn't know if he gave up looking for them, or if he just couldn't find them. They weren't going to question it though, and as long as he didn't show up, they didn't have anything to worry about. And the group was just fine not worrying about Carver anymore. Rebecca could have her baby in peace, and everyone else could go about living a normal life.

Tensions were still high between Nick and Walter, but that was to be expected. Nick knew that the man was probably going to be mad at him for such a long time. He didn't expect Walter to just forget about it and move on with his life. In fact, Nick was still scared that Walter might have a change of heart and decided to just kill him and get it over with. Luke had to reassure Nick that that wasn't going to happen.

As for Nick and Luke's relationship, it was stronger than ever. They were more in love now than when they were kids, and Nick was thankful for that. He was thankful he didn't have to deal with unrequited love anymore. He was thankful that he had finally got someone to reciprocate his feelings, and share love together. He just hoped that one day, all of this apocalypse nonsense would be done and over with, then the two would finally be able to have a real life together, and a real home and family. But for now, he'd have to be content with this, and so far he was.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: And we've reached the end of this fanfic. It was inspired by the song Beneath The Tree by Anadel, and I recommend you give it a listen. Anyway, I'm glad y'all liked this story, and there will definitely be more Nuke in the future. I'm happy this story got a lot of good feedback. I'm still taking requests, just send me a PM. Thanks for reading, stay fabulous, and look for more stories soon!<strong>


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